


Owl's Well That Ends Well

by Sinsilverwind



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Eda is bi thanks, F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rekindling Relationship, Slow Burn, friends to lovers to enemies to reluctant allies to something, my friends are enablers, now with more flashbacks, past relationship, we're starting in the enemies section
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:40:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23336275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinsilverwind/pseuds/Sinsilverwind
Summary: Eda has to face her past romantic angst, with a side of forced cohabitation. Luz gets another mom. King is still Baby.
Relationships: Eda/OC
Comments: 17
Kudos: 124





	1. Chapter 1

The cabin, Luz was certain, had to have been abandoned for years. It had the right look to it, from the outside, all boarded up windows and haphazardly patched holes and slightly ajar creaky doors, to say nothing of it being out in the middle of the very dark and very creepy woods, but when she peeked inside she found that it wasn’t dusty at all. Not the dust of leaving the door open for who knows how long, and certainly not the dust of being abandoned for who knows how much longer. The inside was, if cluttered, cleaner than any abandoned house Luz had ever seen. Granted, she hadn’t seen very many abandoned houses, but still, everyone just  _ knew _ they were dusty.

As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she gasped. It wasn’t just clutter, it was  _ human clutter _ , more than she’d seen anywhere on the Isles, aside from Eda’s shop. And unlike Eda’s shop, this stuff was set up like whoever owned it actually knew what they were doing. A coat rack sat next to the door, and it actually had coats on it. A CD player, complete with headphones, next to a mattress heaped with blankets that Luz could appreciate as a functional bed, and the rickety table and chair of a dining room set were placed carefully in front of a TV. CDs and VCRs were carefully stacked and labelled in marker, just like how her mom had done with their old videos.  _ Accurate labels,  _ at that, giving the names of movies and music groups, not “human love documentary on a boat” and “rhythmic human screaming” like she;d grown used to seeing from Eda’s shop and the Human Appreciation Society. 

Stepping fully inside, she jumped as the room lit up with light. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude, I was…” Her panicked explanation trailed off as she realized that no one was there. Turning around, her eyes widened even more at the glowing circular rune etched over the doorway, and she slowly spun around to watch as light raced along the ceiling, connecting more runes that she hadn’t seen in the darkness. The door shut gently behind her, but she was beyond caring, finger tracing the familiar pattern in the air. And now she could see more of them, drawn into the top of the electronics, carved into the boards over the windows, onto the doors at the front and rear of the cabin. “Woah…”

Her feet took her, almost without her realizing, towards the makeshift bedroom, but this time her eyes caught on a couple items in the corner, previously hidden by shadows. The first was a framed photograph, the frame clearly fixed not with magic but with superglue, and the picture of the couple inside tattered and faded from age. The second was a witch’s staff, with a carved winged cat sitting at the top. 

The doorknob rattling broke her trance, and she jumped back from the bed, almost tripping over her own feet in her haste. Someone was trying to get in, maybe the house’s owner, probably the house’s owner, but she knew better than to stick around and find out. She could come back later, when it wasn’t obvious she was trespassing. Without further hesitation, Luz turned and ran out the back door, closing it just as she heard the front finally open, and ran back into the woods.

**************************

“--And there were all these  _ human _ things inside the cabin, like I’d see back on earth, like a TV with a VCR player hooked up to it and dishes on a drying rack and--”

“Are you saying we don’t wash our dishes here?” Eda sounded tired, but Luz was too excited to care. She’d been describing her adventure since she’d met up with Eda in front of the witch’s stall, and hadn’t slowed down as they packed up and started the flight back home.

“You guys use  _ magic _ to wash your dishes, this was all set up to be done by hand, like  _ humans _ do.”

Eda lifted a hand from the staff, and even without seeing it Luz could picture her rubbing her temple. “Alright, say there’s a human living out in the middle of the woods, and not just a human-obsessed witch, big whoop, they’ll probably be eaten by the end of the week and then it won’t matter.”

“But they  _ won’t  _ get eaten because they’re also a witch!”

“Humans can’t be witches, Luz, we’ve been over this.”

Luz crossed her arms, an impressive feat given she was sitting on the staff, even sandwiched protectively between Eda and a dozing King. “Then how  _ else  _ do you explain the runes all over and the witch’s staff?”

“Let me guess, the palisman was a sea-monkey?” Eda had been laughing over the idea ever since Owlbert brought back a kit from the human realm last week, but Luz ignored what the witch clearly thought was the height of comedy.

“It was a cat, actually, a big cat with wings.” Luz felt Eda stiffen behind her, making a sound not dissimilar to a choking bird. “What’s wrong?” She tried to turn back to check on her teacher, but Eda nudged her back around, giving Luz just enough time to catch hard eyes and bared fangs.

“That  _ person _ is definitely not a human, and I forbid you from returning to that house.”

“What? Why? Do you know them?” 

“Simple. I’m your teacher and I say so, and she’s--” As they cleared the trees and the Owl House became visible, along with the figure banging on the door in front of it, Eda hissed, grip tightening around her staff. “--Here. She’s here.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we get into this chapter I'd just like to take a moment to thank everyone who's checked out this story, especially those of you who left kudos and Especially those of you who've commented. You're all the reason I had the courage to actually continue this fic, so thank you all so, so much. Without further ado, let's meet the other half of this chaotic duo.

Eda was tired. It had been a long, slow day at her stall, which was fine. It wasn’t like she had bills to pay or a list of school supplies to buy for Luz or increasingly ineffective bottles of elixir to stock up on. Combine all that with the rapidly approaching dark storm clouds and all she really wanted was to curl up in her nest and not deal with the world for a few hours. What she really didn’t want was to find someone outside her door, and what she really, _really_ didn’t want was for it to be _this_ someone.

The someone was currently too busy arguing with the door to notice the returning witch, giving Eda enough time to get Luz and King off her staff and behind her before she marched to confront her unwanted visitor.

“What do you want, Rain?”

Rain’s ears twitched up, just a little, the way they always had at the sound of Eda’s voice. It was aggravating how familiar it felt. And when she turned to face her, for one moment Eda froze, the five years of absence forgotten. Rain looked a little older, certainly, but so much seemed the same. The same tan skin and permanently tousled black hair. The same long sleeve tunic and trousers that Eda had always teased her looked about 200 years out of fashion, and the same cloak that Eda herself had bought, so that the fashion disaster could at least be complete.

The same watching brown eyes, that crinkled just slightly in concern. “Oh, Eda…” Her gaze shifted past Eda, and her eyes widened. “You have a human.”

Eda snarled, brought back to the present in an instant. Stalking forward, she swung her staff up, pointing it at the other witch. “What do you _want_ , Rain?”

Rain held up her hands, and a distant part of Eda mused that she’d taken to wearing gloves at some point in her absence, but the far greater part of her was focused on the face of the woman in front of her. She wanted to see fear in Rain’s eyes, the proper fear that anyone would feel being threatened by the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles. She needed to see it. But all she saw was the same concern, before it was closed off behind Rain’s familiar mask.

“I need your help.” Her gaze darted past Eda again, properly taking in the sight of their audience, before returning to the witch before her. “I need a potion, please.”

Eda bared her fangs, grip tightening on her staff. “I don’t sell to exes, Rain. Go somewhere else.” 

“Eda...”

“ _No._ You left, you don’t get to come back whenever you want.”

Rain bristled, some of the fire that Eda had been so fond of flickering back to life in her eyes. “This has nothing to do with _want_.” She lowered a hand into her cloak, retrieving a, if not bulging, at least respectably sized coin purse. “Here, every cent to my name, just hear me out, please.” Thunder rumbled, far too close for Eda’s liking, and Rain’s eyes darted up to the sky, finally showing the fear Eda had been desperate for. It wasn’t as satisfying as she’d wanted.

With a growl, Eda snatched the purse out of Rain’s grasp. “Fine, I’ll deal with you after I put the kids to bed. Until then, turn into something that can’t talk.”

Rain sighed, a sound that could only be described as bemused relief, and raised her hand to draw a casting circle. The white light of her magic was familiar to Eda, but the witch’s eyes couldn’t help but be drawn towards a second glow, barely visible in the gap between Rain’s sleeve and glove. It lasted only a second, and then a black panther stood in Rain’s place, tail flicking. The cat didn’t speak, but Eda still understood what she wanted to ask, and with a groan she gestured for Rain to enter her house. As the cat turned Eda’s eyes darted down, hoping to catch a second glimpse at Rain’s arms without the other witch noticing, but whatever had caused the glow was gone or hidden now. 

No sooner had the panther padded inside than Luz and King were at her hip, almost vibrating with curiosity, and Eda was reminded of all the other reasons she was tired. Before either of them could speak the witch held out her hand, eager to not deal with any of their respective questions or taunts. “I need to put up a forcefield before the boiling rain starts, you two get to bed.”

The two deflated, and Luz looked from the house to Eda. “Are you going to be alright?”

Of course she wasn’t. “Of course I am, I’m the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles, you think I’m going to let a pesky customer bother me? She’ll be out of here by morning and we’ll never have to deal with her again.”

Luz didn’t look convinced, but she picked up King and went into the house. As the door shut behind them, Eda had to admit she didn’t believe any of it herself.

~~~~~~~~~

Eda could feel the panther’s eyes on her the moment Luz and King were gone and groaned, dropping into a chair. She’d been able to finish the forcefield before the storm hit, which had made it significantly easier, but it was still a lot of magic cast far too late in the day for her, and the conversation awaiting her did nothing to help her mental and physical exhaustion. “Alright, fine.” 

Rain had always had a talent for shapeshifting, and she shifted forms now in the time it took Eda to blink. One moment there was a panther sprawled on the couch, the next there was a witch. Rain quickly jumped up and dusted herself off, not even trying to hide her eagerness. “I--”

Eda held up a hand, cutting her off. Now was as good a time as any. “Show me your arms.”

The other witch froze, eyes wide, and Eda watched as confusion and fear gave way to understanding and fear “Eda, I’ve always had white magic, you know that, I’m not--”

“Prove it then.” She nudged another chair out, giving Rain a place to sit. “Prove you’re not in the Emperor’s Coven, and it won’t be mentioned again, and you can get on with your begging.”

Rain grit her teeth, but the jab at her pride had the intended effect and she sank down into the chair, rolling up her sleeves with a little more force than strictly necessary. 

Eda hissed, instinctively recoiling a bit. There was no brand, and the circular tattoos covering Rain’s arms were familiar and harmless, but the lightning-like white scars streaking down Rain’s arms were neither. Eda remembered them, if only vaguely, but only as occasional faint, thin lines, nothing like the mess that they had become, snaking around her tattoos and disappearing under her gloves and sleeves. 

Rain rolled down her sleeves, hiding the scars again and freeing Eda from having to verbally acknowledge anything she felt about them. But Rain’s eyes were watching her closely, and her voice wasn’t any less scared when she asked, “Happy?”

“It will do.” Eda’s voice was a little shaky herself, and to cover it she rose from her spot, turning to shuffle through her cabinets. She was angry with Rain, she had every right to be angry with Rain, the last thing she needed was it being clouded with sympathy. “So, what was it exactly you wanted? Don’t give me any more of that garbage about needing potions, you’ve gone five years without needing them, I refuse to believe you’ve had a change of heart now.”

“Will you stop saying _want_? I told you, this isn’t want, it’s need. But you’re right, I’m not here for potions. Just wanted more privacy. Some things kids shouldn’t hear and all that.” 

A particularly loud crack of thunder cut her off, but when it became clear that she wasn’t going to continue without further prompting Eda rolled her eyes. “Honestly, for someone who used to win arguments on her age… Fine, what do you _need_ then?”

“My staff was stolen.”

For a moment Eda froze, the very idea making her skin crawl. Stealing or intentionally damaging a witch’s staff was practically unheard of. Heck, even Eda, for as much as she hated Rain, couldn’t imagine ever laying a finger on the shapeshifter’s staff. But she shook off the reaction, scoffing to cover herself. “Are you sure Tez didn’t just get fed up and fly away? Palismans do take after their makers after all.”

Magic crackled in the air and Eda tensed, ready to retaliate, but the attack never came, only a sigh. “Fine, lash out at me, I deserve it, but leave Tez out of it.”

“Alright, geez, control your magic.” She didn’t turn back to Rain, but out of the corner of her eye she saw the other witch rubbing her arms. “Why would someone take your staff, and _why_ would you come to _me_ for help?”

“I may have stumbled upon some less than savory trading going on. Demon hearts, bottled witch bile, your average illegal materials. I was collecting evidence to get the place shut down, but…”

“You were discovered.”

“I was discovered. I thought I got away safely, but I came home today and Tez was gone and they left a note.” Eda heard her digging through her cloak and the sound of paper crinkling. “In two weeks, this paper will turn into a map that will reveal where I’m to bring 50,000 snails. If I don’t show up with the cash or if I alert the authorities, Tez is destroyed.”

Eda tapped her nails against the bottle she’d been holding, digesting this. “How did you even find these traders?”

“I live in the middle of the woods. You don’t want to know the things I’ve found out there.”

That was fair, and Eda knew well enough that Rain had an uncanny knack for getting into trouble. “You were serious when you said that what you gave me is all the money you have?”

“Completely. You’re welcome to check my house, but I have a feeling it’s being watched.”

Eda groaned. It was barely a fraction of what Rain would need, and she wouldn’t be giving it away if she planned on meeting the ransom demands. “You need a rescue mission.”

“I need a rescue mission.”

Keeping the bottle in her hand, Eda closed the cabinet she’d been rifling through. “And if I refuse?”

“I’ll leave the moment the storm lifts.”

“And I keep the snails?”

To Rain’s credit, she only hesitated a moment. “Every one.”

Well, there went her justification to herself. Sitting back down across from Rain, Eda held out her hand. “Take off a glove, we’re doing this properly then.”

Rain’s eyes lit up, and this time there was no hesitation in revealing her skin. Her once unblemished hand was marred with the same white scars, not quite as vibrant yet but spreading down to her fingertips. Eda only had a moment to inspect them before Rain’s hand was in hers, and after five years it still felt painfully familiar.

Baring her teeth at her own memories and reminding herself that she hated the witch across from her, Eda drew the circle, yellow light crackling around their hands. “My terms are this. I will help you rescue Tez from these traders. In return, once he is returned to you, you leave and never cross paths with me or my family again. And, if any harm comes to my family directly or indirectly as a result of helping you, the deal is off and you leave immediately.”

Rain met her eyes, and the only thing Eda could see in them was determination. She didn’t move her hands, but her scars glowed softly and white magic snaked alongside Eda’s yellow. “I accept your terms.” The magic glowed brighter for a moment, and then faded. Rain quickly snatched her hand back, pulling on her glove. “Does the forcefield cover the path to the shed?”

“You can take the couch.” When surprised eyes snapped back to her Eda shrugged. “Your fur is already on it. And here.” She slid the bottle over to Rain. “Two caps when you wake up, one before you fall asleep. It can’t undo the damage, but it should help the pain.”

Rain took the bottle carefully, and to Eda’s horror looked about on the verge of tears. “Eda, I--”

“Don’t you dare get emotional now, Rain Well. I can still change my mind.”

The other witch quickly schooled her expression, offering Eda a slight bow. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” But Eda must have been more tired than she thought, because for a moment she almost found it charming. Turning to head up the stairs, she called over her shoulder, “I’ll start a tab for you.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! It's been a minute but we're back! Once again, thank you to everyone who's interacted with this story, and especially to the ones who left comments, you all encouraged me to fight through writer's block to return. Onto chapter 3! (should I start naming these?)

Rain was up with the dawn, the storm and her own swirling emotions cutting through every attempt at sleep. It had been five years since she’d last set foot in the house, and yet. And yet.

She shook herself. She had enough to deal with, she didn't need to add a midlife crisis to the list. Downing the required dose of her potion, she pulled her journal from one of her cloak’s inner pockets and sat next to a window to take advantage of what little light she could. The storm was still going strong, she might as well take advantage of it and get some work done. Eda had never been a morning person, and Rain couldn’t see that changing, even if her view on having kids clearly had. 

“Annoying and snotty, huh?” she asked the sketch in her journal. It was an old one, before the curse had set in as heavily. “You’re just as soft as you’ve always been, a--”

The stairs creaked and she instinctively stiffened, magic flaring to her fingertips, the white glow sickly against her skin. No neat circles, that took too much concentration, just energy that burned wherever it touched.

A moment later the human girl came into view, still in her pajamas and yawning away sleep, only to freeze at the sight of the shapeshifter, poised and ready to strike. Rain flushed, immediately dispelling the magic and shaking away the residual pain. “I’m sorry, I-- I guess I’m not used to being in a house with other people again.”

The human squinted at her, and for a moment Rain feared she would call for Eda, but then the girl smiled. “That’s okay, I’m sure it’s a big change.”

“I… Yes, it is.” She smiled back, trying not to bare her fangs in any way that would be intimidating, trying not to notice how odd the human’s dull teeth seemed in comparison. “I don’t believe I caught your name last night?”

“Oh! I’m Luz! Nice to meet you!” The girl crossed the room, holding out her hand, and Rain couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped, even as she reached out to clasp Luz’s hand.

“You can call me Rain, though I’m sure you figured that out already.” She noticed Luz trying very hard not to be obvious about looking at the scars streaking across her hand and wished she’d thought to pull on her gloves. Instead she returned to her journal, flipping back through it as she spoke. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re the one who found my house yesterday, aren’t you?”

Luz blushed, rubbing at her neck. “Yeah, I’m sorry, I thought it was abandoned and you don’t see many houses, or any, over in that area, so I…”

“It’s alright. It does look pretty old from the outside. But what did you think of the inside?” She tipped her head to the side, ears perking up in encouragement.

Brightening at the easy forgiveness, Luz grinned again. “Did you set up everything in there? I haven’t met anyone here who knew how to work human things like that before! My friend Gus, he’s fascinated with humans, and he thought dvds were cookies!” She laughed, and Rain laughed with her. 

“I’ve had a little more time to figure things out than your friend, I’m sure. But it is good to hear that a real human expert thinks I did a decent job. Some witches might mock me for it, but you humans are pretty clever, finding ways to do things without magic. It saves me a lot of magic. Well,” she lifted an eyebrow, “those and my glyphs.”

Jumping on the bait, Luz leaned in, eyes sparkling. “So you did make them! How did you learn them all? Could you teach me some? I’ve learned a few, but you had ones I’ve never even seen before!”

Rain laughed again. It really had been too long since she’d talked to anyone new, and this kid’s energy was infectious, despite everything. “Oh kid, not just those glyphs.” She shouldn’t, she knew she shouldn’t, Eda would probably skin her for even talking to her kid, but the temptation of someone who could appreciate what she’d learned was too much to resist. Twirling her pen, she used it to push up one of her sleeves, watching as the kid’s eyes widened further with each tattoo revealed.

“That’s an ice glyph!” Luz’s fingers hovered over the tattoo, manners barely tempering her eagerness. Rain watched as her eyes traced the others, recognizing the excitement and hunger in the human’s expression all too well. “Do they work as tattoos? Do you think they’d work for humans too?” Maybe a little too well. The Eda in her head might have had a point about the whole skinning her thing after all.

“Alright, little light.” The shapeshifter rolled down her sleeve. “I’ll answer your questions in exchange for some of mine, deal?” Luz nodded eagerly, and Rain turned the journal, tapping on the sketch of her staff that she’d found. “When you were in my house, did you see this staff still?”

Luz nodded again. “Yeah, it was propped up against the wall.” She narrowed her eyes. “That’s why you’re here, aren’t you?”

Yep, definitely Eda’s kid. Rain closed the journal with a snap. “It is. And to your earlier questions, no and definitely not.” Luz deflated immediately, and Rain felt her heart lurch. She’d done this to herself, but it still wasn’t fair. “I wasn’t born with as much magic as witches like Eda, the glyphs help me overcome that difference and do magic like she does, but they still need to feed off an existing source.” She tapped one of her pointed ears. “Why are you so interested in magic, anyway?”

“You’ll think it’s stupid.”

“No, I think Eda’s fashion sense is stupid.” That got a small smile, and it felt like a weight lifted. She could deal with a lot, but she couldn’t handle heartbroken kids. 

“I want to be a witch. I know there’s never been a human one, but I’m learning magic, even if it’s different than how you do it.” Luz glanced at Rain’s covered arms. “Mostly.”

“Mostly.” Rain thought for a moment, wanting to be tactful. “Look kid, Luz, I know a bit about humans, and I think that’s where some of your confusion is coming from. Witches here are a species, you can’t change that.” She shifted forms easily, a black cat sitting in her place. “Even this is only skin deep.” She changed back, the dull burn in her arms worth it if she could get her point across. “But you can still learn magic, and I might be able to help there, if you’d like.”

Luz perked back up, almost bouncing in excitement. Ah, teenagers. “Really?”

“Sure. Just trust me with what I tell you, alright? I’ve already done all the trial and error bits for you when it comes to using glyphs, even though you’re human I can’t imagine it being that different.”

“Absolutely. Can we start now?”

Rain laughed, but before she could reply Luz’s eyes widened, focusing on something outside the window. The shapeshifter whipped around, magic flaring back to life just in time for a large chunk of shale to smash through the window. It froze midair, slowly breaking apart in the grip of Rain’s spell, before she let the pieces fall to the ground. Her ears flattened, not looking forward to any of what was coming. “We can start after I deal with this.”

Luz looked between Rain and the broken window. “I thought Eda had a forcefield up.”

“First rule of magic, don’t use more than you need to. Eda’s spell was for a long bout of boiling rain, not shale hail. This late into it, the spell would be fading, too.” She stalked past Luz, heading for the steps.

The human followed. “Wait, where are you going?”

“A forcefield of this size is too much for me, even with the glyphs. I need a staff.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

No, absolutely not, and it took all her willpower not to beg the kid to go grab Owlbert for her. “It’ll be fine, just wait here and try not to get hit by any shale.” Squaring her shoulders and trying to look the epitome of confident, powerful witch, she started up the stairs.

Her posture lasted as far as Eda’s closed bedroom door before shattering completely, hands shaking, knees locking with such force she almost tripped over her own feet. It was foolish, she could hear Eda’s snores through the door, she knew from experience that she could stomp all over that room without the witch waking up, but still. She hadn’t seen that room since the night it ended, and sneaking in to borrow her ex’s staff was not how she’d pictured returning.

Taking a deep breath, and then another, she slowly opened the door, slipping inside and adamantly not looking at the figure curled up in the nest. Get the staff and get out. Don’t think about any of it, don’t think about her. Every step felt years in the past, five, ten, more, all this time, the path had never changed. Owlbert was where he’d always been, and it only took a moment to reach out and grab him, another to slip out of the room as silently as she’d entered.

Owlbert woke up on her way back down the stairs, but he only gave her a silent look that she couldn't understand. He didn't fly off or peck at her though, so she took that as a plus.

Luz was still waiting where Rain had left her, though from the way she was eyeing Rain's journal it clearly wasn't an easy task. Rain shook her head, as if she wouldn't have been just as curious. "Come on kid, you're looking for other ways to do magic, right?"

Luz lit up, immediately falling into step behind her. "You can use another witch's staff? I mean, I know you can fly with it but…" Rain glanced back just in time to catch a flash of guilt pass the human's face, and made a mental note to get the story from Owlbert later, if he was truly as forgiving of her as he seemed.

"That's entirely up to the palisman. It takes some getting used to though, every staff has its own magic." She winked at Luz. "I almost blasted myself the first time I tried using this staff. My fault, not Owlbert's, and Eda never let me live it down." The stab of pain she felt at that was stronger than she'd expected, but she hid it behind a smile. "You can't let mistakes keep you from trying again, though." 

They stepped outside into the morning, Rain squinting up at the force field. There were a couple small tears in it, but nothing as bad as she'd feared. Still better to borrow a staff's power though.

"Goooood morning Rain~" Hooty's voice jerked her out of her thoughts, and she turned back, quickly shushing him. He was one thing that could wake up Eda, if he got it in his head.

"Good morning Hooty. I'm just going to fix this force field before you get any more damaged and then I'll fix you up, alright?"

"Alright, and then you'll tell me all about your trip, right? You know--" 

"I know," she said, glancing at Luz. She liked the kid, but there were some things she wasn't ready for Eda to hear. "And I'll tell you all about it soon, I promise. But right now I need to focus, so shhh." She wasn't sure what she'd do if he insisted, but fortunately he fell silent, and Rain turned back to the force field and her eagerly waiting audience. "Alright, ready?"

Luz nodded, and though Rain was sure the kid had already seen it, given she lived with Eda, she still looked as excited as if it was the first time. Now Rain just had to not disappoint. 

Holding the staff in front of her, Rain focused her intent, willing it to work, needing it to work. For a moment there was nothing, then she felt the by now familiar flow of the staff's magic, and beneath it, Eda's. Even knowing it was coming, she almost faltered, but grit her teeth and pushed through it. It was, if she was honest, mostly the staff, but still she watched as her white magic stretched across the force field, repairing the tears and strengthening the remaining weak spots. 

When it was over she doubled over, panting, sweat and tears dripping down her face. The staff had taken most of the magical toll, but it was still exhausting, and the brush of Eda's magic burned more than the scars on her arms. 

Ears ringing, it took her a couple moments to realize that Luz was talking to her, and she looked up into the girl's concerned brown eyes. "Are you alright?"

Straightening up, Rain wiped her face clean, trying to make it look casual. "I'm fine, though I probably should have mentioned that part. Staffs still take some of your energy, and when it's not your staff, the cost is even greater, regardless of whether or not the palisman approves." She glanced at Owlbert, who left his perch to land on her shoulder, nuzzling her. She nuzzled back, kissing his beak. "Hey bud."

Luz awwwed at the sight, and Rain was once again thankful for how easily distractible kids were. "You guys were pretty close, huh?" 

Rain's ear twitched, something in the kid's tone telling her that the question went deeper than the owl on her shoulder. She wanted to ignore it, but the lump in her throat and the ring hidden under her shirt both demanded otherwise. "Yeah kid, we were."


	4. First Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, flashback episode! I don't have any real plans on how many of these there will be, but I figured I should touch on that friends-to-lovers part of the chaos bis' relationship. Also because ages are somewhat important now, Rain is (barely) 22, Eda is 20/21. No they're not any smarter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I Was going to wait until next week to post this one, but I feel like we could actually get Eda backstory in Agony of a Witch and then I'd feel obligated to try to change the fic timeline to match, and I'm lazy, so enjoy the early update.

“Can I take this off yet?” Rain gave an experimental tug to the blindfold tied over her eyes, and hissed as Eda smacked her hand in retaliation. It didn’t hurt, of course, Eda would never hurt her, but it didn’t make it less annoying.

Eda, for her part, ignored the protest, hand settling back on Rain’s waist. “I told you, this is a surprise. It can’t be a surprise if you know where we’re going.”

That was debatable, but also, not the biggest concern for Rain. “It’s also not a surprise if I fall off the staff before we get there. Which, you know, is likely, when I can’t see where we’re going.” The arm around her gave her a squeeze, and she felt Eda rest her head on her shoulder.

“I won’t let you fall, you big baby.” The staff tilted sharply and Rain yelped, fingers digging into the wood and Eda’s sleeve. The redhead laughed, not feeling or not caring about the claws Rain might have accidentally formed in her panic. “Besides, we’re here.”

“You couldn’t have let me know sooner?” Rain forced the claws away, but she didn’t release her grip on Eda until she felt solid ground beneath her feet.

“Nope.” The shapeshifter’s ear twitched, not having to see Eda’s expression to recognize the fanged grin there. “Come on, birthday girl.” Eda took Rain’s hand, guiding her off the staff. Their fingers curled together with an easy intimacy that, though only one half knew, brought a blush to both their faces. The other half was too busy trying not to trip over anything while blindfolded. 

“Eda if I stub my toe one more time because of this stupid thing I--”

“Fine.” With little fanfare, Eda pulled the blindfold off, leaving Rain blinking in the dappled sunlight. “Happy?”

“Oh…” They were in the forest, but not in a part Rain had ever seen. The trees towered above them, branches tangling together until she couldn’t separate one tree’s from another’s, each trunk so wide that she and Eda combined couldn’t have reached all the way around some of them. Magic pulsed in the air, whispering over her skin. “Eda, where are we?”

“Every witch needs a staff. It’s about time you got yours.”

Rain froze, her hand falling slack from Eda’s. “You… I… Is that even possible, given my…?” She waved her arms, not knowing how to finish that statement, but they both understood enough of it.

Eda’s expression, for a moment, was impossibly soft, understanding and sympathy and unending affection shining in her gold eyes. Then she grinned, grabbing Rain’s hand again, familiar eager mischief back in place. “Come on.”

The process took hours, Eda guiding Rain with a mixture of gentle encouragement and playful teasing. The wood was magic in and of itself, and despite the carving knife pressed into Rain’s hand there was little direct work involved in creating her staff. It was mostly intent, picturing what she wanted and letting the magic guide her. As her fingers brushed along the jaguar’s spine, brushing away the last wood shavings stuck between its wings, she bit her lip, waiting for the beast to come to life the way Owlbert so often did. But it stayed inert, simply a carved block of wood sitting on a knobby wood staff. Her ears drooped, and noticing, Eda nudged her.

“You have to name it.”

Rain looked at her, then back at the staff resting across their legs. She’d rolled up her sleeves as she worked, the glyphs tattooed onto her arms staring back at her. If she needed them just to do basic magic without passing out, what hope did she actually have of bringing a palisman to life. “Eda, I’m not sure--”

“Oh just do it.” Eda rested a hand on her arm, giving her a light squeeze. “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve never let your illness stop you. Are you really going to start now?” 

“I--” She sighed, then straightened up. “You’re right.” Taking the staff, she stood up, holding it before her. “A name, huh?” She gave the staff an experimental twirl, pretending to think about it, as if she hadn’t spent countless nights thinking of what her palisman would be. As if a part of her hadn’t known since she was a child, listening to her mother’s stories. “I name you Tez.”

For a moment nothing happened, but just before she could be disappointed the staff glowed, light traveling up the wood to settle in the jaguar’s eyes. She felt the little cat’s focus shift, sharpening on her face, and then he moved, stretching out his wings, roaring as loud as his little form would allow. He was alive, as much as Owlbert, as much as any palisman. She laughed, reaching out to pet his head. 

Eda stood behind her, grin firmly in place. “So, worth the surprise?” 

Rain spun to face her. “You--I--” She rushed forward, and Eda opened her arms to catch her, both laughing as they twirled in the embrace. Not thinking beyond the joy of this moment, the proof of her magic and the familiar warmth of her best friend in her arms, Rain leaned forward, pressing her lips to Eda’s. The kiss ended just as quickly, the shapeshifter jerking away in embarrassed shock. “I’m sorry, I--”

“Don’t you dare.” Eda’s pale skin was almost as red as her hair, but she was grinning even more than before, even as she jabbed a finger at Rain’s chest. “I’ve been waiting for you to do that for months, so don’t you dare apologize for it.”

Rain blinked, and it was a good thing Tez had functional wings, because she’d quite forgotten the staff in her hands. “You… Then why didn’t you do anything?”

“Because you’re older! That’s how it works!” Eda was laughing as she stepped closer again, catching the staff before Rain could drop it and leaning it against a tree. Rain couldn’t help but laugh herself, catching the redhead’s free hand. 

“I really don’t think it is.” Her ears twitched back, nervous, and then perked up. “Would you like to do it again?”

Eda’s grin turned devious. “Definitely.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha this fic has been sitting half finished for 2 months. Anyway, now that I have a full season to work with, this fic is officially set (just) after WiLW. I've also adjusted a couple lines to match the now canon age ranges, for the sake of convenience I'm sticking with the simple mid-to-late 40s for Eda, Rain still being a year older. I think that's all the catchup I have to do, but I will say that I've seen some others come up with glyph tattoos as well and okay Maybe I'm a little mean with mine.

Luz was almost bouncing with excitement at the idea of learning from Rain. Eda was her teacher, her family, and Luz wouldn’t trade her for the world, but Eda didn’t know about glyphs, and even if Eda hated the sympathy Luz didn’t want to put more stress on her, knowing how much the curse was progressing. Rain, though, Rain had more glyphs just on her arms than Luz had seen before, and she seemed just as eager to teach Luz as Luz was to learn.

  
So Luz was more than a little confused when, instead of launching into what seemed like the perfect lesson, Rain held the staff out to Luz. “Can you take this back to Eda’s room for me?”

  
Luz frowned, taking the staff. Owlbert had settled back on top, but even though he was once again wooden she felt like she could still feel his eyes on them. “Sure, but I thought you were going to fix the hail damage?”

  
Rain’s ear flicked a couple times, a quick fluttering motion, a movement Luz recognized from her friends as nervousness, though what the witch had to be nervous about she had no idea. “I will, but it’s boring to watch, trust me. It’s much more important Owlbert gets back to Eda before she wakes up and realizes he was gone, okay? Then we can have a more interesting lesson.”

  
“Okay…” Luz dragged her feet, hoping Rain would change her mind, but the witch stayed quiet, and when Luz glanced back Rain only gave her a little wave.

  
The house was still quiet, and Luz did her best to step lightly, well aware that both Eda and King tended to be grumpy when they were woken up. Rain might be too, she reflected, remembering the way the witch had reacted when Luz had walked down the stairs earlier that morning. She’d recovered quickly, sure, but Luz still remembered the wide eyes, the bared fangs, the white magic crackling along her skin, giving her a sickly glow. It had been odd, and for a moment even frightening, but Rain had shown no signs of wanting to fry Luz since then, and she seemed sincere in wanting to bond. Luz wanted to think that meant more than Rain’s momentary freakout.

  
Eda’s bedroom door was open when she got there, and Luz poked her head in to find the witch up and dressed, staring out her window. Glaring out of it, if Luz had to guess, but she couldn’t see enough of Eda’s face to be sure.

  
“Good morning, Eda,” Luz said, trying to sound cheerful, casual, like she wasn’t about to be caught in whatever feud the witches were engaged in.

  
But Eda only flicked an ear in acknowledgement. “Morning, Luz.” Not looking away from the window, she held a hand out behind her, and Luz released the staff, letting it fly back to its owner.

  
Luz waited, expecting something, anything, more, but Eda stayed still and silent, and finally she couldn’t take it anymore. “Is everything alright?”

  
Eda barked a laugh, sharp and bitter and cut off quickly when she remembered who was asking. “I don’t know what she’s even thinking, coming back here.” The witch shifted, seeming to relax just a little, and Luz took it as an invitation to step closer, joining Eda at the window. Together they looked down, watching Rain. She’d finished whatever magic she was doing and was sitting on Hooty’s extended body, waving her hands as she talked, though Luz had no idea what she might have been saying. “So, what awful things did she tell you about me?”

  
Luz jolted, not expecting that line of questioning, and shook her head. “She didn’t say anything bad about you!”

  
“Really.” Disbelief dripped from Eda’s voice, and though she hadn’t turned to Luz, the girl didn’t miss her deepening frown.

  
“Well…” She shifted her weight, guilty even though they weren’t her words. “She might have said your fashion sense was dumb.”

  
“That hypocrite. At least I dress for the right century.” Eda did look at Luz then, and what caught the girl off guard wasn’t the anger in the witch’s eyes, but the bruise-like circles under them. In the time they’d known each other, she’d seen Eda deal with magical threats, her curse, and the horrors of sending your adopted ward-child to school, but Eda had never looked as exhausted as she did now. “That was it?”

  
“Yeah.” Luz raised a hand, wanting to offer some sort of comfort, but let it drop again when Eda immediately tensed. “Are you okay?” It was a dumb thing to ask, but she didn’t know what else to say.

  
Eda flicked her ear again, this movement much sharper. Dismissal. “I know she has knowledge about your glyphs that I don’t, and if you want to learn from her I won’t stop you. You’re a smart kid, I know you won’t fall for any of her lies.” She pointed a finger at Luz, in warning or reprimand, the girl wasn’t sure. “But don’t believe anything she tells you otherwise. However she might act, she’s nothing but a liar, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  
“Is that what happened with you?” Luz didn’t realize she’d asked the question out loud until Eda flinched back, ears flattening in a mix of anger and betrayal. “I’m sorry, I didn’t--”

  
“It’s alright.” Stepping past Luz, Eda sat on the rim of her nest, patting the space next to her. Luz followed, sitting close by but giving the witch the space she knew was needed. Eda took a breath, and then another. “I know you’re curious, and it’s probably better that I tell you than her. I was 20 when we met, she’s a year older, though she only brought it up when she wanted to use her “maturity” to win an argument. We bonded quickly and soon, well.” She shrugged. “You like those mushy romances, I’m sure you can fill that in. We did just about everything together, until about 5 years ago when she vanished overnight.” Luz opened her mouth to say something, and Eda quickly clarified. “I mean that literally. I fell asleep next to her and woke up alone. Until yesterday, she never bothered to come back.” Every word dripped with warning, but Luz noticed the way Eda had looked away again, the way her ears couldn’t quite perk back up all the way.

  
“I’m sorry,” Luz’s voice was soft, her insides twisting themselves into conflicted knots. “She shouldn’t have done that.” It was dumb and obvious and not near enough, but it did get a laugh out of Eda, this one softer, sadder.

  
“See, kid? You’re already smarter.” It was impossible to say which of them she was referring to, Luz doubted Eda knew herself. Eda rubbed a hand over her face, running it back through her hair, “fixing” her perpetually messy silver mane. When she looked back at Luz, the witch looked a little closer to normal, but there was still a tightness around her eyes, a forced tenseness to her smile. “Fortunately, she’ll be gone soon.” She squeezed Luz’s shoulder reassuringly, then nudged her towards the door. “In the meantime, you need to get ready for school.”

  
“But--” Luz didn’t want to leave Eda like that. Even if the witch recoiled from any signs of sympathy, sometimes she needed it. But Eda only gave her a more insistent nudge, pushing her to the door when Luz still moved too slow.

  
“No buts, you wanted school, and I did way too many chores to get you there, you’re going. You can pry into old romantic garbage later."

  
“Okay, okay.” Luz started walking before Eda’s pushing left a groove in the floor. “But I’m here if you need anything.”

  
“Kid please. I’m an adult, and I’ve dealt with way worse than her. I can handle it.”

* * *

As Luz found out when she returned to the house that afternoon, Eda’s version of “handling it” was locking Rain outside and all around ignoring her existence. The shapeshifter was sitting cross-legged with her back against the wall, tongue poking out in concentration as she clumsily tried to sew a mass of fabric in her lap into what could generously be called a teddy bear, albeit one with lopsided limbs. King was stretched out on her head, dozing. Eda, for her part, ignored them both, striding past them and into the house. The door was left open for Luz to follow, but she lingered outside, watching Rain.

  
After a few moments, the witch glanced up, carefully so as not to dislodge her newfound hat. “Is something wrong?”

  
Luz shuffled her feet. Her talk with Eda that morning still echoed in her head, clashing with the gentle, almost concerned expression on Rain’s face now. “Can I talk to you?”  
“Sure.” Rain reached up, gently scratching King’s fur. “Oye, you gotta wake up, bud.”

  
King squeaked, cracking up an eye. “But I was just getting comfy!”

  
“You’ve been up there all day.” Rain gently picked him up and set him on the ground beside her, handing over the misshapen teddy bear. “Here, this is the best I could do.”

  
He examined it critically, turning it this way and that. Aside from the obvious limb problems, its button eyes were a little uneven, and it squished just a bit too much under King’s claws. But still, after a moment he nodded, hugging it close. “It will do for now.” He pointed a claw at Rain. “But the King of Demons will expect more minions in the future!”

  
“Of course.” Rain’s lips twitched in a poorly concealed grin, but King didn’t seem to notice as he padded into the house, door closing behind him.

  
Once he was gone Luz sat next to Rain, leaning back against the wall. “I didn’t think you two knew each other.” King had seemed equally clueless about Rain last night, anyway.

  
“We didn’t.” Rain set the remnants of her sewing attempt down beside her, stretching out her legs. “He wandered out about an hour after you and Eda left this morning, and like any good little ruler, blackmailed me into making sweets and ‘minions’ for him. It was adorable, honestly.”

  
Luz didn’t doubt that, but she frowned at Rain’s word choice. “If you two have never met before, what could he blackmail you on?”

  
Rain shrugged. “Nothing of importance, but the company was nice either way.” She flicked an ear. “But I have a feeling that’s not what you wanted to talk about.”

  
“No, actually I wanted to ask you something.” Not about Rain’s history with Eda, she’d already decided that while she was curious, she owed her mentor more than prying into her past. But school had given her a new mystery to look into.

  
“Go on.”

  
“You have white magic, right?”

  
Rain blinked, stunned by the question. Slowly she nodded, summoning a small white flame that danced above her hand. “I do, why?”

  
“Well, at school today we were talking about magic, and how the color of someone’s magic shows their natural affinity to a type. Like, my friend Willow has green magic, and she’s really good with plants.”

  
Rain nodded. “And Eda’s a natural with potions, and has yellow magic.”

  
“Right.” Luz frowned at the witch. “But white magic isn’t tied to a type. It… My teacher said that some members of the emperor’s coven gained it, as a sign of their devotion.”  
“I’m not a part of the emperor’s coven.”

  
“I know, Eda wouldn’t let you stay if she thought you were.” She bit her lip. That wasn’t the part that made her nervous. “They also said that some illnesses could drain magic, and cause that kind of discoloration.”

  
Rain sat quietly for a few moments, looking at the flame in her hand. “Leeching the color, the life from it. I’m aware.” She closed her hand on the flame, extinguishing it. If the flames burned her, she didn’t react. “I can tell you truthfully, little light, I don’t know if that’s what happened to my magic, it’s always been like this. But you can know that whatever the cause, it’s never stopped me, and it won’t prevent me from teaching you what I know about our glyphs. Fair enough?”

  
The lessons really hadn’t been Luz’s concern, but still she nodded. If Rain was confident she was okay, Luz could accept that. “Okay.”

  
Rain smiled, and Luz only realized how tense the witch had been as she relaxed. “Good, then for your first lesson…” She rolled up her left sleeve, showing off the tattoos lining the inside of her arm, black ink stark against her tan skin, the white lightning streaks of her scars darting between them, almost seeming to glow slightly. Starting at her wrist, Luz could see six glyphs, with what might have been the start of another at her shoulder, but it was too obscured by her bunched up sleeve to be sure. Rain rain a finger along the glyphs, naming them as she went. “Shapeshifting, healing, water, ice, wind, and telekinesis.” She rolled the sleeve back down before Luz could ask about the possible other glyph, rolling up her right sleeve, showing another six glyphs. The first two were the same, so Rain brushed past them. “Fire, light, stone shaping, and plants.”

  
Luz nodded, itching for her notepad to copy the new glyphs down. “I’ve seen some of them before. I just learned fire the other day, actually.”

  
Rain’s ears perked up, eyes shining with surprise and curiosity. “Really? How did you do that?”

  
“I just copied it down, like what you did for your tattoos, right?”

  
The witch shook her head. “No no, how did you find out what the glyph is in the first place.”

  
“Oh, I just saw it.” Rain still looked confused, so Luz pulled out her phone. “Here, let me show you.” She scrolled through her gallery, quickly finding the old video of Eda casting the light spell. “Look at this.” Together, they watched the video again, and Luz paused it to show Rain the light glyph visible in the spell circle. “See? Glyphs are everywhere, if you know where to look. I found the fire one burned onto a grudgeby ball.”

  
Rain laughed, quick and delighted. “That’s fascinating. I can’t believe I never realized.”

  
Luz tucked her phone away, not wanting to waste any battery, and cocked her head at the witch, curious herself. “How did you learn glyphs then?”

  
“Ah, well.” Rain was still grinning, but now it was the smile of someone eager to share their discoveries. It made her look younger, genuinely happy in a way Luz hadn’t seen yet. Reaching down beside her, Rain lifted up a thick leather-bound book, gently resting it on her lap. “My father gave me this when I was a child.” She flipped it open, turning the pages to show Luz the knowledge inside. Each page or so covered a different glyph, written in the runic language common on the Isles, but with sticky notes in English scattered throughout, translating the key points. “It took some time to figure it all out, of course, and clearly there are still secrets not within it, but it taught me everything I know.”

  
Luz desperately wanted a closer look at the book, a wealth of magic that even she could do, but Rain kept a tight grip on it, even as she showed it off, and Luz guessed that borrowing it wouldn’t be part of her lesson plan. But. “Maybe we can teach each other then. You can show me some more of what’s in the book, and I can help show you how to find glyphs out in nature. Who knows, maybe we can discover something new together.”

  
“You know Luz, I think I’d like that very much.”

* * *

Over the next few days, their lessons came in quick bursts when Eda wasn’t around, usually in the mornings before the witch woke up or after school when she was running errands. Eda, for her part, was still ignoring Rain’s existence. Luz knew the shapeshifter was allowed in overnight, she heard Rain moving around sometimes, but she was outside when Luz went to bed and outside when she woke up, and if the witches had said anything further to each other, she hadn’t heard it.

  
It was a silence that Luz had realized was mutual. Eda hadn’t said more about her relationship with Rain since that first morning, and Rain hadn’t even said that much, but Luz noticed the way they immediately went quiet on the rare occasions they were forced to cross paths. Eda at least would continue with whatever she was doing after a moment, but more than once Rain had shifted into a small bird or rodent and darted away, ending their lesson without even a farewell. Luz could feel the tension in the air when it happened, but neither of the adults commented on it, and later Rain would pick up the lesson like nothing had happened. She could get wanting to avoid awkward situations, but as the week wore on she found herself getting tired of two women old enough to be her other moms acting more like broody teenagers than the actual broody teenagers she was around all day at school, so maybe that was why she finally took matters into her own hands.

  
It was finally the weekend and they were taking advantage of the longer morning freedom to practice modifying spells, seeing how much they could adjust the plant glyph before it either became something else or stopped working entirely. Luz, always eager to practice her magic, was drawing out the glyphs while Rain sat beside her, journal resting on her lap for note taking. As Luz went to add another line to her current attempt the shapeshifter reached out, lightly tapping her hand with a pencil.

  
“Do that and you’ll end up with an explosion, little light.”

  
Having had enough failed attempts already, Luz didn’t argue the warning but simply balled up the paper, handing it over to the witch, who set it alight with a tap. “You’re sure?”

“Definitely sure. I singed my eyebrows off doing that once. Never let me live it down.” There was no need to ask who Rain was talking about, they could both hear Eda’s name in the silence.

  
As Luz started drawing another glyph she asked, quite casually, “Have you talked to her at all?”

  
Rain sighed, idly scratching her pencil against the paper. “Yesterday morning she yelled at me for using all the hot water. Not very thrilling.”

  
Not sure if that counted as progress over simply ignoring the shapeshifter or not, Luz tried, a little cautiously, “Did you say anything back?”

  
“Told her that I’ve seen her heat up water before so she had nothing to complain about.” Rain tapped the glyph she’d doodled, and they watched as a purple hyacinth bloomed from the page. “Pretty sure you heard the door slam.”

  
Luz had, in fact, been woken up by it, but didn’t see a point in saying so. “Do you think--”

  
She was cut off as the door opened, Eda striding out, staff in hand and bag of wares over her shoulder. “Come on, kid, these things aren’t going to sell themselves.” The witch glanced at Rain, lip curling back over her fangs. “Freeloader.”

“Right,” Rain said, tone and ears flat. She stood, brushing herself off. “I’ll be going then. Have--”

  
“Wait!” Luz jumped up after Rain, not sure what exactly she was doing but knowing that this was the best chance she was going to get. “Rain, weren’t you saying you could use some more supplies for our lessons?”

  
Rain shifted her weight, eyes darting between Luz and Eda. “That’s true, but…”

  
“Then why don’t you come with us? There are tons of stalls that sell stuff we can use, and besides, that way we can continue our lesson.” Luz clasped her hands in front of her, putting on her best hopeful expression.

  
For a long moment neither of the witches said anything. Rain looked like she was contemplating trying to melt into the ground and Eda. Eda shut her eyes, taking a deep breath. When she opened them again, she nodded.

  
“Fine.” The witch pointed a clawed finger at Rain. “But you can get yourself there. Come on, Luz.”

* * *

They traveled in silence, and it didn’t take long to get uncomfortable. Rain had transformed back into a small bird, flying a short distance from them, but she didn’t try to make conversation, and Eda was stiff and brooding at Luz’s back. Several times Luz twisted around, a random question or comment on her lips, only for it to die at the sight of the witch’s gold eyes, glaring at some point ahead of them. In the end, it was only after they’d landed and Eda was finishing setting up her stand that Luz found the courage to speak up.

  
“Eda?”

  
The witch grunted, focused on rearranging her wares. Rain the bird glanced at Luz, then quickly away again, pretending to preen her feathers.

  
“Are you mad at me?”

  
Both adults froze, and Eda looked down at Luz in shock. “Of course not.” She glanced sharply at Rain, who pointedly fluttered off to a short distance away, then rested a reassuring hand on Luz’s shoulder. “Look, kid, I know you mean well. And I’m glad you seem to be enjoying your lessons. But how I deal with my past is my decision, alright?”

  
Luz nodded, not quite able to keep her lip from quivering. She knew Eda wasn’t trying to make her feel bad, but that didn’t actually make her feel better. “Alright. I’m sorry, Eda.”

  
“Hey.” Eda ruffled Luz’s hair gently. “You’ve got a good heart, and I’m proud of you. Don’t forget that. Just don’t waste it on the birdbrain, either.”

  
Luz nodded, only noticing Rain’s return a moment before the bird landed on Eda’s shoulder, pecking at the witch’s ear. “Still not funny,” the bird chirped, then quickly flapped away before Eda could swat her off.

  
“Privacy.” The witch snarled, but Luz noticed a certain relaxing around her shoulders, some of the tension leaving the air. “Alright, if you two want to continue drawing go ahead, but some of us actually need to work.”

  
They did continue the lesson, Rain dropping into her normal form to better guide Luz through more complex versions of their basic glyphs. She was in the middle of teaching Luz how to finetune the fire glyph when she froze, looking past the girl. Luz turned to follow her gaze to Eda, who had stiffened, still except for her twitching ears.

  
“What is it?” Rain’s voice was low and deadly serious, her own ears stiffening as she tried to catch whatever Eda could hear. Luz strained to listen, but she couldn’t make out anything beyond the normal bustle of people shopping.

  
Eda spoke softly, forced calm in her voice, even as she started to quickly pack up her wares. “Lilith. We need to go.”

  
Rain was already on her feet, catching Eda’s wrist. The silver-haired witch snarled, jerking out of her grasp, but Rain ignored the rejection, getting between Eda and the stand. “She’s still trying to catch you?”

  
“Of course she is, so get out of my way.” Eda tried to shove Rain aside, but for once the shapeshifter held her ground, leaning against the table.

  
“Does she know this is your station?”

  
“No, but that won’t matter once she sees-- _no_.” Luz had been only half listening, distracted looking for Lilith, but she turned back at the change in tone, Eda’s growl jolting into something she couldn’t quite decipher.

  
Rain drew herself up to her full height, stiff with determination. “I can do it. And that way you won’t have to pack up and leave.”

  
The growl came back full force, Eda jabbing a finger into Rain’s chest. “I’m not going to be in your debt--”

  
Rain’s voice remained calm, and if she was bothered by the rough contact, she didn’t show it. “You won’t be. But you will be facing arrest if you don’t agree soon.”

  
Eda snarled, claw pressing into Rain’s sternum, then abruptly turned away. “Fine. Around the table, Luz.”

  
Luz did as she was told, still trying to process the argument. “What are you doing?”

  
Rain remained on the seller’s side of the stand, leaning casually on it. “Lily is after Eda, not me. So if Eda isn’t around, she has no reason to cause us problems.” She glanced at the other witch. “Will she recognize Luz?”

  
Eda’s eyes were still narrowed, words spoken through gritted teeth. “Do you know any other humans on the island?”

  
Rain shrugged. “Well if you put it like that. This might feel a little weird, Luz.” And she reached out and gently tapped Luz on the nose.

  
“Wha--?” Luz was cut off as her entire body tingled. It felt warm and vaguely ticklish, but before it could be uncomfortable the sensation faded. She looked at Rain in confusion, who pointed at her ears. Frowning, the girl reached for them, eyes widening as she felt the new long points. She gave them a curious wiggle and grinned. “So cool…” She breathed, only realizing she’d spoken in Spanish when she caught Rain’s odd look, but before she could say anything Rain turned her attention to Eda, lightly touching the witch’s arm.

  
If Luz had been excited about being turned into a witch girl, her mind was blown at Eda’s transformation. Eda stayed a witch, but that was about the only thing that remained the same. She shrank, just a little, hair turning a golden blonde as her eyes turned a cool green, gold fang and gem disappearing as her skin regained a healthier glow, though still lighter than Luz and Rain. Even her dress changed, growing longer and turning a light blue, losing its jagged hem for a more billowy skirt. She looked into a mirror Rain propped up, nodding in a way that still seemed like an insult. “Fine, it will do.” And Luz jumped, because even her voice had changed, just a little, just enough.

  
Rain looked ready to snap something back, but then she straightened, a bright, customer service smile in place, just as Luz heard the soft tap of low heels behind them. “Lilith! It’s been too long.”

  
“Ah, Rain.” Lilith’s voice was a low purr, and Luz didn’t need Eda’s hand on her arm to step to the side, out of her way. The head of the emperor’s coven looked as prim and proper as ever, hands folded neatly in front of her and a polite smile on her lips. “Still keeping this up, I see.”

  
Rain shrugged, but for just a moment Luz thought her smile seemed slightly forced. “We all do what we need to to make a living.” She brushed an invisible fleck of dust off the table. “What can I help you with?”

  
“I heard rumors that my sister was in the area.” Luz could feel Eda stiffen at her back, but she was distracted by the way Rain froze. It wasn’t fear, like she would have suspected, or the preparation of Eda’s response, but anger, magic crackling to life in the air around them.

  
“If you think I would have _anything_ to do with her--” The words were a low snarl, Rain’s fangs bared in what could only be a threat.

  
Lilith waved it away. “Yes, yes, I know how long it can take for such wounds to heal. I’m not accusing you of helping her, I’m simply offering you another chance to help me take care of her.” Eda’s grip tightened on Luz’s arm, and she could clearly picture Eda’s gritted teeth, the struggle to not react to the frustration and anger of being talked about like you weren’t there.

  
Rain’s eyes darted to them, just for a moment, and something in her expression shifted. The press of her magic faded, and only now did Luz notice the faint blue glow around Lilith’s hands, just as it also disappeared. “Come now, Lily, you’ll drive away my customers. Besides, my answer is the same. I don’t interfere, either way.”

  
“Of course, I wouldn’t want to drive away your business. But I would remind you all that it is the emperor’s will that Edalyn be brought to justice.”

  
Luz could tell they were expected to be good little citizens and agree, but Rain cut in before their lack of response was noticeable. “Rest assured, the most recent sign of Eda I’ve seen are those ridiculous posters you have plastered everywhere. Now not to cut this unwanted family reunion short, but I _do_ have a business to run.” She twitched her ears, clicking her tongue as if she’d just thought of something. “Although, perhaps we could help each other out afterall. A witch as respected as yourself purchasing something from my stand could be quite the endorsement, and in return I could keep an eye out for Eda.”

  
Eda hissed softly, too low for anyone but Luz to hear, but Lilith smiled, all self-satisfied charm. “Did you have an item in mind?”

  
Rain smiled back, selecting a navy blue folding fan from the piles of junk on the table. “This little contraption does wonders for helping humans stay cool, and I know how hot your workplace is.”

  
Lilith took the fan, though she frowned at Rain. “It’s really not that warm, you know.”

  
Rain’s grin sharpened. “Well I guess if you work close enough to the boss it probably isn’t.” She took the coins Lilith offered, tucking them into her pocket. “Always lovely to see you, Lily.”

  
Lilith’s eyes narrowed at the nickname, but she let it go, tucking the fan away. “Likewise.” She glanced at Luz and Eda, giving them a polite nod, then finally walked off. Rain watched her leave with a hawk’s intensity, only relaxing when Lilith turned down another street.

  
The second the coven head was out of sight Eda snarled, marching up to Rain, and Luz was surprised to see that in her current disguise Eda was the shorter of the two, just by a hair. “ _What_ do you think you’re _doing_?”

  
Rain shrugged, leaning against the table. “Giving your sister a cursed fan, she’ll have a rash for a week.”

  
The response caught Eda off guard, and Luz saw her lip twitch for a moment, before she doubled down on her rage. Luz felt the air thicken, and if Rain’s magic had made it feel dense, Eda’s made it suffocating. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. If you think you can betray me to her--”

  
“How _dare_ you.” Rain’s voice was low, and for a second Luz thought it was just anger in return, but then she saw the shapeshifter sway, just a little. “I’ve always been on your side. You’re the one who-- who…”

  
There wasn’t warning, like in the movies. One second Rain was standing, the next she dropped, head cracking off the table on her way down.


End file.
